Starless Nights
by Izume-Hime
Summary: Sequel to ANB. Three seasons later, WillowClan is thrown into chaos. Leaderships are questioned and a potential ally becomes a deadly enemy. Meanwhile, an old friend rushes back to save her Clan, but can she save her loved ones and herself first?
1. Allegiances

WillowClan

Leader: Echostar – White tom with black paws and blue eyes.

Deputy: Crookedtail – Brown and white tom with a bent tail.

Medicine Cat: Forestgaze – Bracken colored she-cat with distinctive green eyes.

Warriors

Blacktail – Black tom with green eyes.  
_Apprentice – Sunpaw_

Gingerfur – Ginger tabby she-cat with green eyes.

Tallwhisker – Black and white tom with a long tail.

Speckledpelt – Golden she-cat with black spots.

Shadowclaw – Black she-cat with white ears, tail tip, and paws.

Firestorm – Ginger she-cat with black tabby stripes and blue eyes.

Apprentices

Sunpaw - Light ginger tom with white paws and amber eyes.

Queens

Birdsong – Blind blue-gray she-cat. (Mothering Tallwhisker's kits; Willowkit (Light gray she-cat), Mousekit (Light brown tom), and Littlekit (Black tom with a white muzzle; the runt of the litter.)

LeafClan

Leader: Elmstar - Dark brown she-cat with yellow eyes.  
_Apprentice - Frostpaw_

Deputy: Nightfang - Large black tom with amber eyes.

Medicine Cat: Blackspots - Black and white she cat with yellow eyes.  
_Apprentice – Dusktail_

Warriors

Spottedclaw – Spotted tortoiseshell tom.  
_Apprentice - Rainpaw_

Brindlefur – Tabby she-cat with green eyes.

Redwhisker – Dark ginger tom with yellow eyes.

Snowstorm – White tom with yellow eyes.

Oaktail – Light brown tabby tom.

Apprentices

Frostpaw – White she-cat with dark green eyes.

Dusktail – Dark gray, almost black, tom with yellow eyes.

Rainpaw – Solid gray she-cat with amber eyes.

Queens

Elders

Swiftheart – Silver tom with a white underbelly.

Cats Outside the Clans  
Amberstorm - Dark brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes; formerly of WillowClan.

Borace - Fat gray tabby tom; kittypet.

Jasper - Light brown tom with a white underbelly; kittypet.

Lilly - White she-cat with gray spots; loner.


	2. Prologue

The moon hung over a misty clearing, turning everything its light touched pale. In the center of the grassy area was a pool. Here a gray and white kit could be seen staring into the waters. Her green eyes stared at the image that could be seen in its depths. Her distant kin had just given birth.

"There you are, Mosskit," Mosskit swung her head around to see her mother, Bluestar, approaching . "What are you doing?"

"Birdsong had her kits," she replied. "Look." When Bluestar complied, she added, "Look at the black one. He's so small."

"That he is," she murmured.

Mosskit looked up at the former ThunderClan leader. "Mother? Do you think that he'll survive?"

Bluestar hesitated, a strange light glittering in her eyes. Finally, she purred, "Of course. He's strong and healthy. Before you know it, he will be a warrior just like his kin."

Mosskit nodded, satisfied with her answer, but before she could speak once more, a flame-colored tom bounded up to the two.

"Bluestar?" Firestar panted. "You wanted to see me?"

The blue-gray she-cat nodded. "Yes." Turning towards her daughter, she added, "Mosskit. Leave Firestar and I alone to speak, please."

She felt a pang of disappointment that she couldn't stay, but Mosskit nodded and bounded off in search of Adderkit and Blossomkit.

Bluestar watched her scamper away until she was out of sight and then focused her eyes on her former apprentice. "Firestar," she meowed, "we need to find Amberstorm."

The tom tilted his head. "What do you mean find her? Don't you know where she is?"

"She no longer walks under StarClan's skies." She sat down. "I secretly met with Bramblestar and he has agreed to help us. We are going to-

_"Bramblestar?"_ Firestar interrupted with a growl. "You can't trust him no more than you can trust a fox! How do you know that he'll help us? Besides, we're still at war with those poor excuses for cats."

"It's unlike you to oppose a plan that could help a Clan, Firestar," Bluestar mewed softly.

"I refuse to work with a killer," he said simply.

The she-cat snorted. "Who said you were going to be the one to help him? I just brought you here because I assumed you would know where the one that will go with him is. She is your daughter, after all."

Firestar's gaze immediately darkened. "No, Bluestar, absolutely not. He has caused her enough pain."

"She's not a kit anymore. I believe Squirrelflight can choose to help or not on her own. Now where is she?"

For a moment, Firestar stood there, glaring at Bluestar. Finally, he growled, "She is with Feathertail in the sandy hollow."

She dipped her head. "Thank you, Firestar." When she received no reply, she bounded off towards the hollow.

Soon, she heard the two she-cats talking. _Finally,_ she thought as she approached them. "Greetings," she said when they noticed her.

Squirrelflight bowed her head. "Hello, Bluestar. Is there something you need?"

"Yes. I need your help."


	3. Chapter 1

Tallwhisker's ears perked as Forestgaze came out of the nursery. "How are they?" he asked.

The medicine cat purred. "Birdsong is tired, but doing well; Willowkit and Mousekit are strong. They will turn into fine cats."

The black and white tom tilted his head. "What about Littlekit?"

This time, Forestgaze hesitated. Shaking her head, as if to dismiss a thought, she smiled. "Littlekit is doing fine."

"Good. I'm glad. Thank you Forestgaze."

Echostar padded up to the she-cat once Tallwhisker and walked away to go out on the sunhigh patrol. "WillowClan's first litter is good, I presume?"

She nodded. "Yes. They're fine."

The leader sat down. "Now tell me how you really feel."

Forestgaze looked surprised for a moment, but soon closed her eyes and sighed. "The two larger kits are fine, along with their mother but…It's Littlekit. He's just so small! I-I…" She opened her green eyes before continuing. "I don't think he'll survive the season. To be a kit this size and be born at the beginning of leaf-bare; it's nearly impossible! Even if he does, he'll always be smaller than the other cats. If he were to go into battle as a newly named apprentice-

Echostar interrupted her by placing his tail on her shoulder. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Even if he does get sick, he couldn't have a better cat to be taking care of him. Besides, maybe he won't become a warrior apprentice. Maybe he'll be your successor."

"I don't know," she mewed. "I don't think I'll be taking an apprentice anytime soon."

"Trust me, you should."

"Maybe you're right- Wait. Are you calling me old?"

Echostar purred and walked away as Forestgaze gave him a half-hearted glare. Although he had irked his medicine cat, he had also succeeded in taking her mind off of Birdsong's smallest kit.

"Echostar!" he whirled around to see Blacktail's apprentice, Sunpaw, bouncing towards him. "Echostar, I need to ask you something!"

"What is it?"

"Can I go to the Gathering tonight? Please? I want to tell Rainpaw about that really big pigeon I caught!"

The black-pawed cat twitched his whiskers in amusement. Every moon, the ginger tom would ask to go to the Gathering to tell his sister about something. And when he wasn't allowed to go, he would always mope around the camp, looking dejected, until the chosen cats came back.

"Alright," Echostar finally said. "I suppose. But remember, when I say it's time to go, it's time to go."

"Alright! Thank you!" Sunpaw ran off again, crashing into Speckledpelt, which caused the spotted warrior to trip Sunpaw's mother, Firestorm.

Echostar shook his head. _Always wants to get his way, that cat._ He mused. _Just like Amberstorm used to be._

The thought of the tabby caused him to be hit with a wave of sadness. It had been three long seasons since she and Mistpelt met their deaths. Echostar still pictured the two she-cats plummeting to their deaths in his dreams. What caused him more grief was when he would recall telling his Clan.

_"What?" Gingerfur yowled. "How do you know?"_

"I watched them fall into the river. There's no way they could survive that." Echostar's voice was strong, but his body was shaking. To the whole Clan, he said, "We can safely assume that it was Amberstorm's attempt at murdering Mistpelt."

"Lies!" He turned to see Blacktail with his lips drawn back. "Amberstorm isn't a killer. She would never do such a thing! How would you know, anyway? Did you see the fight?"

"No, but Mistpelt landed in the water before Amberstorm. It had to be Amberstorm who dealt the final blow."

"That doesn't mean she wanted to kill Mistpelt!"

That's when Echostar's patience ran out. "Then what do you call it?" he snapped. "Amberstorm had to have known that they were near the gorge! And I highly doubt it was provoked."

The black warrior snarled. "Are you saying that you think Amberstorm caused all of this?"

"It's more likely than Mistpelt."

Blacktail shook his head. "I don't believe this. A leader quick to blame one of his own warriors?" He stood up and starting heading for the warriors den. Before he went in, he turned around and meowed loud enough for the whole Clan to hear: "She loved you, do you realize that? Do you know how much esteem she held you in? That warrior would die for you, Echostar."

"Amberstorm would die for me?" Echostar whispered. After a few seconds, he shook his head. "No. Amberstorm's not that kind of cat."

"Echostar," he turned his head around to see his deputy, Crookedtail, padding towards him. "It's time to leave for the Gathering."

_How long have I been standing here?_ He thought. Aloud, Echostar said, "Alright. I'll tell everyone."

"No need to; I've already rounded them up."

"Oh," he felt his fur grow hot. _That's your job, mouse-brain._ He told himself as he walked to the front of the group of warriors. "Well, we'd best be off."

The fast blur of a tabby could be seen dashing through the forest as fast as their paws would carry them. "Almost there," the cat breathed.

But, to his displeasure, he heard a sharp yowl and was soon surrounded by warriors. Letting out a hiss, he faced a tabby similar to him, except a white underbelly.

"Hawkfrost!" Bramblestar snapped. "Let me past."

Hawkfrost took a step closer. "Why should I?" he sneered. "You're a traitor, after all. And traitors must be dealt with."

"I don't want to fight."

"You just know that you're outnumbered," Darkstripe snarled and unsheathed his claws.

_Fox-dung_, Bramblestar thought. _He's right. _His amber eyes locked on to Hawkfrost. _He's blocking the exit. If I can get past him, I'm safe._

"Let me take care of him, Hawkfrost," Bramblestar's hackles raised when he recognized the voice. "After all, we have a score to settle."

Hawkfrost looked from the tabby to the gray tom. After a while, he said, "Very well, Ashstar. Just make it quick."

Bramblestar let out a growl as he turned and faced his rival. Amber locked onto blue as the trees rustled soundlessly while a wind that never was blew through the forest.

"You'll pay for what you did," Bramblestar spat.

Ashstar bared his teeth. "Funny; I was going to say the same thing!"

Soon, the two toms were locked into a ferocious battle, the sound of ripped fur evident and blood staining the grass around them. Bramblestar felt his frustration rise when he realized that they were equal in skill. For every blow he made, his former Clan mate would match it.

Suddenly, he found himself pinned to the ground. He wriggled, desperate to get free as Ashstar's gaze chilled his body. _I can't lose,_ he thought. _No matter what, I will not lose against him._

"This is just how I imagined our battle would end," Ashstar meowed triumphantly. "Pity we're not alive so I could kill you again." He raised a paw, claws unsheathed and savagely brought it down, raking across Bramblestar's left eye.

Bramblestar let out a shriek of pure pain as his eye throbbed and his vision faltered. He once more tried to break free, and was relieved to find that the gray cat let him go. _Get out of here!_ His conscience screamed. _Run!_

And run he did. He didn't bother to look back to hear the taunting yowls his brother was throwing at him. He didn't look back to see the triumphant gleam in Ashstar's eyes.

He didn't even look back to see a dark ginger she-cat in the bushes, watching him sadly.


	4. Chapter 2

The trees rattled and swayed as the cold wind of leaf-bare as it cut through their bare limbs. Prey dashed to their dens, desperate to get as warm as they possibly could. A dark tabby knew all of this with a simple swivel of her ears. She was alert of her surroundings, but her amber eyes never left the starless sky.

"StarClan is invisible tonight," she murmured.

"What are you blabbering about this time?" her companion, a small white and gray loner mewed as she groomed her fur.

Amberstorm turned to give the she-cat an annoyed looked. "You wouldn't understand, Lilly," she replied. "After all, you have been a loner for your whole life."

"Yeah, but this loner saved your life."

The former warrior just merely snorted, privately admitting that she was right. Amberstorm had met Lilly when she had been cornered by two aggressive foxes. Lilly had come by at the same time and helped her fight.

"You know, Amberstorm," the loner focused her green eyes on her, "you never explained to me what exactly a Clan was."

Amberstorm shrugged. "Just a group of cats. It's really not that important."

"Then why do you always talk about 'StarClan'?"

"They're my warrior ancestors." Her mew was quieter this time. "They watch over the Clans. Every single star represents a dead warrior. But, for some reason, there aren't any stars out tonight."

"Well, maybe it's just cloudy out," Lilly simply mewed.

Amberstorm snorted. "Have you looked up lately? It's obvious there aren't any clouds out tonight."

The she-cat shrugged. "Oh. Well, maybe they can't see you from here."

The tabby remained silent. Suddenly, she stood up. "Come on, Lilly," she ordered. "We need to get to where we're going by sunhigh tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah…I don't see why you want me to show you where these flea-bitten scraps are anyway. They're just rouges."

"I would just feel comfortable in a bigger group."

Soon, the two were walking through the trees, occasionally putting their ears back when a gust of wind came, threatening to flatten them. It hadn't taken much for Amberstorm to guess that leaf-bare was here. That was why she was seeking out a large group of rouges that lived in an abandoned Twolegplace (according to Lilly).

"How does a Twolegplace become empty, anyway?" she suddenly asked.

Lilly shrugged. "Not sure. All I know is that there are a bunch of Twoleg dens and Twoleg paths, but no Twolegs. It's kinda creepy, even with all those rouges there."

"You'll get used to it."

"Thanks for your sympathy, Amberstorm."

"Anytime."

-

"Well, here it is," Lilly whispered.

Amberstorm looked around in awe. Sure enough, it was a Twolegplace, but no Twolegs. Everything looked seasons old and a few dens seemed as though they would collapse at any second. _It does look a little spooky since the sun is just now rising,_ she thought.

"Who's here?" an old ginger tabby stepped out of the shadows.

Amberstorm dipped her head respectfully. "Greetings, I'm Amberstorm and this is my friend Lilly. May we speak with your leader?"

He snorted. "Leader? We don't have a leader, kitten."

Her ears twitched in annoyance as he called her 'kitten' but forced herself not to mention it. "Oh. Well then, do you think we would be welcome to stay here?"

He shrugged. "I don't see why not. Might as well show you around. Now, Timberworm and Billie, right?"

Great, she thought, clearly annoyed. Another genius. "No," she said, her calm voice clearly forced. "Amberstorm and Lilly."

"Right," he rumbled. "My name's Kenobi."

"Kenobi?" Lilly asked. "Why would your mother name you _that_?"

"She didn't. I used to be a housecat when I was a young'un. Anyways, follow me, you two. I'll show you around."

Amberstorm sighed as she half-listened, half-ignored Kenobi. So far this plan had been just plain mouse-brained. _Why did I choose to do this?_ She thought, but then answered herself: _Because you and Lilly need to find shelter for leaf-bare._

"So, a bunch of rouges live here, right?" Lilly asked their senile tour guide.

"Rouges?" he purred. "No, Billie, we're all former housecats…"

_They're all of kittypet blood?_ Amberstorm raged distastefully.

"…But that doesn't mean that we're not dangerous."

"We'll be fine," Amberstorm growled.

Suddenly, Kenobi stopped. "That may be true, kitten, but I still would suggest not picking any fights. Especially with Kamikaze."

"Who's Kamikaze?"

The tom sighed. "You'll notice him in a heartbeat. Stone gray cat, missing an eye, got a scar across his face…You see a cat like that, then you've seen Kamikaze. They say that his housefolk abandoned him because he hurt their kit."

"We'll be fine, old timer," Amberstorm held her head high. "I've had warrior training; I'll be able to take him."

"Is that so?" All three cats turned around to see a gray cat stepping towards them, his single yellow eye gleaming.

"K-Kamikaze…" Kenobi rasped.


	5. Chapter 3

Echostar looked around as the misty field that he stood in. _Where am I?_ he thought. Aloud, he mewed, "Blackstar? Do you have a message for me?"

Suddenly, he heard a loud, desperate scream, which chilled him to the bone. A gust of wind came, carrying the scents of WillowClan and blood. _No!_ he quickly forgot about StarClan and dashed towards the root of the scents.

The black pawed tom closed his eyes when another cat let out a bone-chilling cry. _What's going on? What's attacking them? I must help!_ He picked up his pace as best as he could.

Echostar stopped once he reached his Clan's camp. The smell of blood was overwhelming now. "Crookedtail?" he mewed hesitantly. "Forestgaze? Shadowclaw?"

"No!" Echostar perked his ears when he heard the sorrowful yowl of Birdsong. "How could they do this?"

Whipping his head around, Echostar let out a choked cry at what he saw. His throat was full bile as he unsuccessfully tried to look away from the blood, the torn fur, the shredded ears…

There, lying at his mother's paws was the mangled body of Littlekit.

Blue eyes flew open as the WillowClan leader gasped for breath. _It was just a dream…_ he thought. _Just a dream._

Blinking, turned and looked out of the entrance to his den. The sun was shining brightly, but in the distance were dark clouds, threatening rain. Below his hollow, he could hear the cheerful chatter of his warriors.

_Was it an omen from StarClan?_ He asked himself as he stretched. _It couldn't be. Would they show me something so horrible?_

Once he had scrambled down the tree, he was greeted by Crookedtail. "Good morning," the old tom mewed. "I just sent out the sunhigh patrol."

Echostar nodded. "Good, thank you." He paused before adding, "How are Birdsong's kits?"

"They're perfect!" Both toms looked up to see Sunpaw padding towards them, moss stuck in his claws. "I just went in there to change the bedding. Willowkit's already acting up."

"Willowkit," Crookedtail repeated with a purr. "She is lucky to carry the name of her Clan."

Echostar quickly nodded, although he truthfully wasn't interested in the young she-kit. "What about Littlekit?"

The light ginger apprentice shrugged. "He's pretty quiet. I've seen elders more energetic than him!"

Echostar nodded, not bothering to remind the tom that he was most likely too young to remember meeting any elders.

"Sunpaw!" Blacktail growled. "I've told you three times to come here. Aren't you listening?"

Sunpaw lowered his head. "It's not my fault!"

"I'm sorry, Blacktail," Echostar said. "I called him over here."

Blacktail snorted and looked away from the leader. "Training is more important than gossiping," he reminded his apprentice as the two walked off.

Echostar sighed. He hadn't been Blacktail's favorite cat since he convicted Amberstorm of murder.

"Alright, Echostar," Crookedtail rumbled, "tell me what's really on your mind."

"What do you mean?"

The deputy looked him straight in the eye. "You asked about the kits, but you were only interested in Littlekit. Then, before that, you came out of your den looking like you had seen a badger! What's wrong?"

_Fox-dung,_ Echostar looked at his paws. "I-I just had a dream," he muttered.

"What kind of dream?"

_Just tell him, mouse-brain,_ he snapped at himself. "I was in a misty clearing and heard the cries of two cats. When I got back to the camp, I saw Littekit's body with Birdsong by him. It was awful…His ears were almost gone as well as his fur and…"

"And?" Crookedtail whispered.

"There was blood everywhere. More than what could have come from a kit!"

For a few moments, the brown and white cat just stood there looking at him, slight shock and confusion written all over his face. "Was it from StarClan?"

"I don't know," he admitted.

Crookedtail studied his paws as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. "Did Birdsong kill him?"

"How could you think that?" Echostar yowled. "She was crying. Besides, do you really think that Birdsong would kill her own son?"

"No, I know that she wouldn't. She was my apprentice, in case you have forgotten."

"Right, sorry," Echostar forced his fur to lie flat, worried that he had offended the elder tom with his outburst. "So what do you think I should do?"

Crookedtail sighed. "I don't know. I'm not leader yet, you know. This is up to you. But, I do suggest speaking to Forestgaze."

-

Amberstorm put her ears back at she stared at the cat slowly advancing towards them. "Who are these trespassers, Kenobi?" Kamikaze snarled. "And why did you bring them here?"

The tom crouched down low to the ground. "They wish to live here," he rasped. "I was showing them around."

Kamikaze let out a hiss. "I told you, you old fool! No one is allowed in my territory!"

"You're territory?" Amberstorm repeated with a growl. "You don't look like much of a leader to me."

The battle-scarred whipped his gaze towards her. "Who are you to defy me?"

"Please be careful, Amberstorm," Lilly whispered.

Kamikaze perked his ears. "Amberstorm is your name? You're a Clan cat?"

The tabby drew her self up taller. "I was. Until I ran away."

"A traitor, eh?"

_Maybe I can intimidate him,_ she thought. "I killed one of my comrades in battle." She looked back at Lilly, who had known about Mistpelt. The she-cat's yellow eyes clearly spoke one message. _What are you doing?_

Kamikaze took a step forward. "We don't need killers here."

"Then why are you here?" Kenobi snapped, clearly becoming brave, or just senile again.

The tom let out a hiss and lashed out to strike Kenobi, but Amberstorm was quicker. Letting out a battle cry, she rammed into him and pinned him to the ground. "No leader would harm a cat weaker than them," she hissed.

Kamikaze caterwauled and squirmed under her grasp, which was slipping. Soon, the larger cat had thrown her off.

As Amberstorm stood back up, she was finally able to see how big Kamikaze was to her. A memory of when she was a kit flashed through her mind.

_Leafstar looked doubtfully at Angerstrike. "She's rather small. Are you sure she's ready to become an apprentice?" _

_Angerstrike nodded. "Of course. Her mother was small as well, but she made a wonderful warrior."_

Amberstorm put her ears back. _Curse my StarClan forsaken mother for passing her size on to me!_

The gray rouge ran at her, but she was prepared. When he leaped at her, she dashed to the side and waited until he landed, in which afterwards, she jumped onto his back, her claws slicing through his rough skin. Unfortunately, Kamikaze soon had thrown her to ground yet again.

_What's wrong with me?_ She thought angrily. _I've taken down cats just like him! Why am I losing?_

Her anger turned to surprise when she saw Lilly, who had been leading Kenobi to somewhere that he would be safe, claw at Kamikaze's sides. The two were soon a writhing blur of gray and white.

Amberstorm got up so she could assist her friend, but froze as she looked around to see cats of all shapes and sizes slowly approaching the fighters, their eyes gleaming with hunger. They formed a tight circle around Lilly and Kamikaze and stood there, remaining silent. _What are they doing?_ She would soon find out.

She closed her eyes when she heard Lilly's cry, but opened them again when she heard a soft thump and a chorus of yowls. Standing in front of her was Kamikaze, while the other rouge cats who had been watching, had pounced on Lilly, tearing at her with no mercy.

Amberstorm tried to get up to help her friend, but she couldn't move. The she-cat just remained rooted to the ground, fear pulsing off her in waves.

"Unlike you," Kamikaze hissed in her ear, "we don't have a sacred code. The only law we abide by is don't go down."


	6. Chapter 4

"Lilly!" Amberstorm finally found her voice as she pushed passed Kamikaze and ran over to friend. A slight twitch of the she-cat's tail told that tabby that she was alive. Amberstorm crouched down next to her, oblivious to the movement of cats and they left the two she-cats alone. Kamikaze snarled and kicked dust over them, but still, Amberstorm did not move.

"A-Amberstorm…" Lilly rasped. "Do you think that StarClan will take in a cat like me?"

"No," she whimpered. "They won't because you're not going to die."

Lilly did not reply.

"Oh dear!" Amberstorm looked up to see a light brown tom with a white underbelly dashing towards them, his red collar obvious on his neck. "What happened?"

"She was attacked," Amberstorm murmured, not bothering to scorn the kittypet.

"Poor thing," he whispered. There was a short silence before he looked back at Amberstorm, an idea forming in his eyes. "Here, we can take her to my housefolk."

"What?"

"They're vets. They can heal her."

"So they're like medicine cats?" she asked hurriedly.

He shrugged. "I have no idea what those are, but you said 'medicine', so yeah."

The tabby sighed and prayed that this would work. "Fine. Let's carefully bring her to your den. Is it very far?"

He shook his head. "No, it shouldn't take too long."

Amberstorm gently grabbed the scruff of her friend's neck, who had passed out, but was still alive. Meanwhile, the tom gently grabbed her fur and focused his yellow eyes on Amberstorm.

"I'm Jasper, by the way."

-

A dark brown tabby and a ginger she-cat bounded side by side towards the setting sun, the she-cat's outline made up of stars while the tom's of shadows.

Bramblestar sighed, clearly confused. Beside him was his former mate, a cat he had loved for his whole life and yet, he couldn't talk to her. How was it possible to be close to someone, and yet so far away at the same time?

"We should be close," he mewed awkwardly. The leader felt even stranger when Squirrelflight just replied with a curt nod.

Sighing, he once again tried to strike up a conversation. "How is your family?"

"Why would you care?" she snarled.

He tried his best not to flinch, but a wince did come out as he looked at her scathing glare. _Wrong question,_ he told himself.

"We're here," Squirrelflight growled after a few moments. Sure enough, a rustic Twolegplace came into view.

Bramblestar sped up as they entered the dusty path. Finding Amberstorm was his top priority, especially after he discovered what Tigerstar had planned for her.

"Wait," Squirrelflight skidded to a halt. "Do you smell that?"

The tabby stopped as well and drank in the air. His hackles rose at the all too familiar scent that hit his glands. Blood. Following the scent, he let out a small gasp when he saw the blood stained ground. "What happened here?"

"A battle, obviously," Squirrelflight mewed dryly. "Come on, I've picked up Amberstorm's scent." With that, she padded after the scent's path.

Before they got very far, the she-cat had nearly ran into the two. "Bramblestar!" she breathed. "And…Who are you?"

Squirrelflight dipped her head. "My name is Squirrelflight. I am of StarClan."

Amberstorm nodded. "I see. What are you two doing here?"

"Looking for you," Bramblestar replied. "We're going to…accompany you." Seeing the question look in her eyes, he added, "It's a long story."

"Alright…But, just so you know, I'm not staying here. I only came to check up on a friend."

He cocked his head. "Who?"

Without answering, Amberstorm took off towards on of the dens. Jumping up onto the edge of an elevated entrance, she called out, "Kenobi? Are you there?"

"I'm right here, kitten," Bramblestar put his ears back when he saw the old ginger rogue step out. _A rouge as a friend?_

She nodded. "I'm going to go to Jasper's den and see if Lilly is alright. Will you be alright?"

"I should be. I have some friends around here that would take me in."

"Good. Until we meet again." Once Kenobi dipped his head in agreement, Amberstorm ran back up to Bramblestar. "I'm ready."

"Kenobi? Jasper? Lilly?" he hissed. "You're associating yourself with rouges?"

Amber met amber. "No, as a matter of fact. One is a kittypet. Besides, I'm not going to make it very far on my own, now am I?"

"She has a point," Squirrelflight muttered.

Bramblestar snorted. "I thought you didn't allow yourself to be around their kind."

"I do now. When you've been away from your Clan as long as I have, your views change quite a bit. Now come on, we have to find Jasper's Twolegs' den."

"Jasper!" Amberstorm hissed as she balanced ungracefully on the wooden post. "Jasper, are you there?"

Sure enough, the tom came out of the den, followed by a fat gray tabby. The newcomer looked up at Amberstorm and her companions with wide eyes. "Jasper!" he rasped. "You know all of these cats?"

He shook his head. "No, just the tabby she-cat."

"Aye, she's a pretty one."

Amberstorm scowled. "You know I can hear you, right?" When she didn't receive an answer, she continued. "How is Lilly?"

Jasper sighed. "She's not doing well. My Twolegs took them to another den so they can give her better medicine. If they don't, then…"

"Then what?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Then my Twolegs will put her down."

"What does that mean?"

Jasper closed his eyes. "They'll give her a medicine that'll kill her."

Fear gripped her like an icy claw. "No!" she cried. "They can't!"

"They might have to, sweetheart." The fat tom murmured.

Amberstorm couldn't help but look at Squirrelflight. "You're a StarClan cat. Can't you do anything?"

Squirrelflight looked at her paws. "StarClan is helpless."

"What do you mean?"

Bramblestar flicked his tail. "Look at the sky, Amberstorm. Tell me what is missing."

Amberstorm did as she was told and the moment she did, her hackles rose. "There still aren't any stars," she said. "Why not?"

Silence engulfed the cats, even the kittypets. Finally, Jasper spoke up. "Well, Amberstorm, you and your ghost friends can stay with me and Borace here if you want."

Bramblestar sniffed disdainfully. "Not on your life, kittypet. I'll sleep out here."

"I hate to agree with him," Squirrelflight looked away. "But I will as well."

Amberstorm sighed. "Suit yourselves. I'm going inside to greet Lilly when she comes back." She noticed Jasper's eyes brighten, but shrugged it off and followed them into the den.

Once she pushed through the weird entrance, she blinked in surprise. Unlike the outside, the inside was warm and cozy, with soft, strange, colored grass that felt good under her paws. Around them were what she assumed to be stones of all shapes and sizes. Borace jumped on one and it sank in slightly under his weight.

"This is our home," Jasper mewed. "Right now we're in the best room. The thing that Borace is on is called a couch. They're really comfy. If you go onto the hard floor, you're in the kitchen. That's where all of us, including our housefolk, eat."

"Interesting," she replied. "It's as if you're a small Clan."

"What exactly is a Clan?" Borace called out.

Amberstorm sat down. "Clans are big groups of cats, consisting of kits, their mothers, a leader, a deputy, warriors in training called apprentices, and warriors who train them, like me. A leader used to be a deputy and before that, a warrior. A deputy has to have at least one apprentice to be named a deputy. When a leader dies, the deputy becomes leader, and a new deputy is named. Oh, we also have a medicine cat, who takes care of the sick and injured."

Jasper purred. "That sounds awesome! I want to be in a Clan. Can I?"

The tabby shrugged. "Usually we don't let in outsiders, but my Clan, WillowClan, made an exception for a loner named Cassie, now named Shadowclaw. All of the other cats are of pure Clan blood."

"Why are you away from your Clan?" Borace asked.

Amberstorm suddenly looked down, confusing the two. "You don't want to know," she whispered.

The questions clearly were written all over the two toms, but nobody said anything. "So…" Borace finally said. "Would you like to stay the night? The cold is setting in, so I'd imagine that you wouldn't want to be out there."

She nodded. "Alright."

"What about your two friends?"

"You won't get them in here."

-

"Echostar!" A frightened yowl filled the night sky, rousing the leader from his sleep. "Echostar, wake up!"

Blinking his blue eyes, Echostar peered out of his den to see Forestgaze on the Skybranch, her eyes wild with fear. "Finally!" she hissed. "We have an emergency!"

Becoming fully awake, he replied, "What's wrong?"

"I just got back from the Starlake," she explained hurriedly. "Blackspots, Dusktail, and I all received the same dreams. They weren't from StarClan, either."

"Well then, who were they from?" Echostar couldn't help but feel a prickle of alarm.

"Tigerstar," she whispered.

Immediately, Echostar bared his teeth. He knew all too well who the dark tabby was. "What? What did he want?"

A distant look appeared in the medicine cat's eye as she repeated the message:

"We have won."


	7. Chapter 5

Echostar let out a soft sigh as he padded through the woods. Tonight was the night of the Gathering, and yet, he couldn't feel at ease. His dreams had still been plagued by bloody images of Littlekit at his mother's feet, and it had been nearly a moon since he first had it.

Behind him, his patrol consisted of Gingerfur, Minnowstream, Crookedtail, Forestgaze, Sunpaw, Tallwhisker, and Blacktail. He hadn't been choosing Blacktail for Gatherings lately, due to the two's rather unhealthy relationship. Even when Echostar told the warrior that he was going, Blacktail merely grunted and turned away without a word. Was he truly still a loyal warrior?

"Echostar," Forestgaze's mew whispered in his ear. "Is it really wise to go to a Gathering under these circumstances?"

"It'll be fine," he replied. "After all, the moon is still visible."

"But Silverpelt is not. StarClan isn't watching over us tonight."

He hesitated. "Even so, we must continue with the Gathering. Elmstar may not have been informed about the…predicament."

She dipped her head. "Very well," the medicine cat mewed dryly. "But don't be surprised that if we fight, no one will intervene."

Echostar did not reply, for they had arrived at the gorge. LeafClan was already there, but something strange was in the air. Instead of talking, the other Clan just remained silent and tense.

"What's wrong with them?" he mewed.

"They could be sick," Tallwhisker guessed. "After all, they all look hungry. You can see their ribs!"

Sure enough, the black and white warrior was right. Every cat, from the youngest apprentice to the most experienced warrior, was thin, as if they hadn't eaten in the moon that the two Clans had been apart.

Jumping up onto the Large Stone, Echostar nodded towards Elmstar. "Greetings, Elmstar. How is the prey running in LeafClan?"

"We are fine." Her voice was unusually taut.

Scanning the area, Echostar spotted Sunpaw padding over to his sister, Rainpaw, whose usually bright amber eyes were flat. The ginger tom mewed something to her, but all she did was nod and give a half-hearted smile.

"Let's begin, Echostar," Elmstar muttered and then let out a yowl, signaling the cats below. "The Gathering has started!" She then nodded to Echostar to start.

Steppinng forward, the WillowClan leader began. "WillowClan has been doing well. Our first litter of kits are strong and our territory has enough prey to support us all." Stepping back, he looked at Elmstar.

"Unlike WillowClan, my Clan has been suffering," she growled. "Our prey is dying off, and the live prey doesn't have enough meat to satisfy us." Her yellow eyes focused on his blue ones. "I never beg, but I ask you, let us hunt on your territory. At least, until our prey has returned."

Echostar blinked in shock. What should he do? If he let them hunt on WillowClan territory, they wouldn't starve, but there wouldn't be enough prey to support both Clans. After a few minutes, he murmured, "I'm sorry, Elmstar. But I can't do that."

His answer earned a chorus of gasps, some coming from his own warriors. Below, he saw Blackspots flash a desperate glance at Forestgaze, while Sunpaw mewed urgently to Rainpaw.

"What?" Elmstar lashed her tail. "Echostar, please rethink this. My Clan is dying."

"You know as well as I do that my territory can't support both of our Clans," he meowed firmly, but not unsympathetically.

The brown she-cat bared her teeth in a snarl. "Just because StarClan chose you to come here doesn't mean your Clan is any better than mine," she hissed.

"I never said that," he replied defensively.

Elmstar advanced towards him, her fur bristling. "You never had to. The fact that you are denying cats the right to live tells me enough."

Echostar felt a growl catch in his throat. "Nobody said you would die."

"We don't have enough food!"

"I've given you my decision. This Gathering is over." With that, he jumped off of the Large Stone.

"Echostar!" he turned to see Crookedtail looking at him, alarm in the old tom's eyes. Before he could do anything else, Elmstar came crashing down on him, snarling with rage.

Yowling in pain as her claws dug into his back, he writhed around in an attempt to turn the tables, but the she-cat was larger than him. Finally, he was able to roll over and throw her off. Getting up and panting with pain and shock, he stared at the leader. "This is a Gathering!" he managed to say.

"What's the point?" she hissed. "My Clan is going to die, and you're the one at fault."

The two stood still, staring at each other, until Elmstar finally stalked away, her cats following her. Echostar relaxed, but winced at he did so, for the wounds on his back burned as if Elmstar had put all her fury into his wounds.

"Echostar!" Forestgaze came bounding up, followed by Minnowstream.

"Are you alright?" the silver she-cat breathed.

"I'm fine," he muttered. "The wounds sting, but they aren't deep." Forcing himself to stand up, he added, "Let's go home."

When he said this, he noticed Blacktail staring at him, a strange light glimmering in his eyes. Peering closer, Echostar's fur bristled at what he saw.

Was that satisfaction in the tom's green gaze?

-

Amberstorm paced impatiently near Jasper and Borace, her anxiety coming off her in waves. "It's been days now!" she hissed. "Is Lilly alright or not?"

Jasper studied his paws. "We don't know," he replied carefully. "Our housefolk haven't brought her home yet."

"Then what if she's already dead?"

Borace sighed. "How about this: We'll give her three more days. If she doesn't come back by then, then we can assume that she's…gone."

Amberstorm nodded. It killed her to agree with the fat tom, but she couldn't stay here much longer. As Bramblestar and Squirrelflight said, StarClan is gone. She needed to return to WillowClan, no matter the consequences.

Turning around, she walked out of the entrance and into what Jasper called the yard. Looking around, she finally saw Bramblestar grooming himself and Squirrelflight looking at the sky, a strange light in her eyes.

"We're giving her three days," the tabby she-cat announced. "After that, we can leave, with or without her."

Bramblestar nodded. "Good. We need to get back to the Clans as quick as possible."

Sitting down, Amberstorm met the leader's eyes. "Why? What's going on?"

This time, Squirrelflight replied. "A war is about to break loose among the two Clans. Nothing will be the same if we can't stop it."

"Can you be a little more specific?"

"No."

_Well that helps_, Amberstorm inwardly sighed. "Okay…Then can you answer another question?"

The ginger cat stared at her. "It depends. What's the question?"

"How is Blacktail?" She flattened her ears when Bramblestar snorted with amusement.

"Blacktail is…alright, I suppose."

She turned back to Squirrelflight. "You suppose?"

Squirrelflight sighed. "Well, he has received Sunpaw as an apprentice, but…his judgment is being clouded. Echostar assumed that you purposely killed Mistpelt, you see."

"I expected as much," Amberstorm murmured. She tried to sound indifferent, but her heart wrenched at the thought of her old friend being so quick to assume that she was a killer.

The warrior nodded before continuing. "Blacktail doesn't believe you did. He's one of the few. Ever since Echostar said this, he hasn't held Echostar in the esteem that a leader should be held in. It seems that the two are enemies."

"All because of me," Amberstorm whispered and looked down.

"Don't be so quick to blame yourself." Bramblestar grunted. "Some things just happen this way."

"You don't think that Blacktail will try to…harm Echostar, do you?"

She had expected a comforting answer, but the two dead cats just exchanged a glance and Squirrelflight closed her eyes.

"I don't know, Amberstorm. I just don't know."


	8. Chapter 6

"Littlekit!"

Echostar's ears pricked with alarm when he heard Birdsong cry out her son's name. Scrambling out of his den, he slithered down the tree and scanned the camp until he saw the blue-gray queen outside of the warriors den. _Why would she be looking for him in there?_ He thought as he walked closer.

As if to answer his question, Gingerfur came padding out, her eyes glittering with amusement towards the small bundle she held in her mouth. "Here he is," she purred when she had set him down.

"What in StarClan's name were you doing in there?" Birdsong scolded. "You nearly scared me to death!"

"I wanted to sleep with Tallwhisker," Littlekit squeaked indignantly. "Mousekit and Willowkit keep picking on me!"

Birdsong tilted her head to one side. "I haven't heard them say a word about you."

At this point, Tallwhisker had come out of the den, staring at Littlekit. Echostar noticed that his eyes were filled with both curiosity and uneasiness.

"That's because they don't say things! They do things." He protested.

"What do they do?" Tallwhisker asked.

"They trip me and then tell Birdsong that I fell! Then when we're playing they're too rough on me and say I fell on a rock when I squeal."

"Then why don't you tell us?" Birdsong murmured.

Littlekit lashed his tail. "Because I shouldn't have to! If you weren't blind, then you would notice these things!"

Echostar blinked in shock as Birdsong flinched and Tallwhisker hissed his son's name. The tiny kit paid no attention as he walked away towards Forestgaze's den.  
"I'm sure he didn't mean those things," Echostar tried to comfort the young queen.

"He's probably just frustrated," Gingerfur, who had been watching silently, agreed.

"He's right," Birdsong fretted. "I would have been able to put a stop to it! If only I weren't blind!"

"Stop overreacting." All the cats turned to see Speckledpelt padding over. "All that kit needs is an attitude adjustment. Besides," her gaze locked onto Tallwhisker, "seeing on how much time he spends with the kits, their father should have noticed."  
Tallwhisker merely looked away.

"This is the first time that they've had kits," Echostar mewed. "Stop judging them so harshly."

"And you would know a thing or two about judging someone harshly wouldn't you?"

Echostar whipped his head around to see Blacktail glaring at him from the entrance of the warriors den. Making sure that he would remain calm, the leader replied, "Blacktail, that was moons ago."

"And yet, cats still remember it." Louder, he added, "Does any cat here truly believe that Amberstorm intentionally killed Mistpelt?"

Echostar lifted his chin, expecting his Clan mates to leap to his defense, but instead, Gingerfur and Tallwhisker exchanged glances and Birdsong turned away, while Speckledpelt looked at Blacktail expectantly.

Feeling slightly disconcerted, he muttered, "Well, my decision about her has already been made and there's no changing it. Besides, she's dead, so what would it matter?"

When he met Blacktail's green eyes, Echostar immediately knew that he had said the wrong thing.

-

Amberstorm let out a sigh as she was led though the Twolegplace by a talkative Jasper. He had offered to give her a tour of the Twolegplace to get her mind off of Lilly. So far it had worked, but she was slightly uneasy being around so many Twolegs and their yapping dogs.

Suddenly, Jasper stopped in front of an old oak tree. "This is where I caught my first squirrel," he explained proudly.

Amberstorm tilted her head to one side. "I thought your Twolegs fed you."

He shrugged. "They do, but sometimes I get hungry while exploring. I don't go out much often anymore, though. Ever since Borace got altered, he's been too lazy to come with, you see."

The tabby nudged his shoulder affectionately. "It does feel better when you have a friend with you, doesn't it?"

He purred. "Yeah."

Amberstorm suddenly felt a pang of regret. She would be leaving possibly two of her greatest friends tomorrow. Lilly had always watched her back while Jasper…well, Jasper just felt special to her. She laughed at herself. To think me of all cats would become best friends with a loner and a kittypet.

Jasper sighed. "I'm going to miss you, Amberstorm."

She looked down. "I'll miss you too, but I need to do this."

"Fine, go ahead and leave me like that," she looked up to see amusement glowing in his eyes.

Thinking fast, she smiled. "Well, maybe I was going to ask you to come with!"

"Well maybe I was going to ask to go with!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

The two stared at each other for a moment before breaking into a fit of laughter. As she calmed down, Amberstorm realized that she hadn't felt this free-spirited since she was a kit.

"Amberstorm?" Jasper looked uneasy as they padded back to his den. "You don't think Bramblestar will hurt me, do you?"

She purred. "I know he seems a bit prickly, but he won't eat you."

"I'm serious!"

"And so am I." she paused to look at him. "He won't hurt you; not while I'm around."

He merely replied by coming close to her and twining his tail with hers. While he did this, the tabby warrior felt as if her paws were weightless and her heart seemed to skip a beat.

Was she falling in love with the kittypet?

-

"Hawkfrost!" Tigerstar screeched as he sat by a small pool in the heart of StarClan's old territory. Beside him was Brokenstar, who looked faintly amused by the tabby's anger.

Finally, the former RiverClan warrior appeared. "Yes, Tigerstar?"

Tigerstar whipped around to look into the pool, which showed the image of Bramblestar and Squirrelflight, perched on top of a Twoleg fence.

"What is the meaning of this?" he snarled. "I thought you had said that your patrol had taken care of Bramblestar! Now him and that blasted she-cat have found Amberstorm."

"I thought that we had been rid of him," Hawkfrost stammered.

"Well clearly, you thought wrong!"

"Would you like me to take care of them?"

Tigerstar shook his head and stood up. "No, clearly if I want something done right, I'll have to do it myself. I'll deal with them. And I know just the cat to help me."


	9. Chapter 7

Echostar sighed as he walked next to Blacktail and his apprentice, Sunpaw through forest. Despite the fact that he and Blacktail weren't exactly friends, but he had an apprentice that was old enough to be a warrior and needed to be assessed.

"Alright," Blacktail mewed. "Sunpaw, what do you smell?"

The ginger tom drank in the air. "I smell a mouse and...fox, but the fox scent is stale."

Echostar nodded. "Very good, but can you tell in which direction the fox was going?"

He looked downcast as he shook his ginger head. "No...Bu-

Sunpaw was cut off as Blacktail stepped in front of him. "Who cares if he doesn't know where the blasted creature went?" he growled. "You should be proud enough that he scented the thing in the first place."

"If we knew which way the fox went, then we could warn LeafClan if we had to." Echostar replied.

"Why should you care about LeafClan having to deal with the fox?"

The three cats stood there silently for a moment before Sunpaw ran off, mumbling something about going hunting. Once the young tom was out of earshot, Echostar relaxed. "Blacktail," he mewed. "We shouldn't be fighting like this. We've been Clan mates for our whole lives. Besides, we're alike in very many ways."

He snorted. "How so?"

"Think about it. We both come from TreeClan. We had to make this long journey, just to see Amberstorm and Mistpelt die." He paused and looked at his paws before adding, "We were both forced to leave our sisters behind."

When Echostar looked up, he was surprised to see Blacktail staring at him, teeth bared and his eyes like green fire. "You could have saved Crystalheart," he snarled and began walking closer. "I would have died just to be allowed to bring Gentlepaw with us. StarClan practically laid that choice at your paws and you chose Mistpelt." At this point their noses were almost touching. "Don't you ever tell me that you were forced to leave her behind."

Echostar stared at his warrior, ready for the moment when Blacktail sprang. Instead, the tom gave him one last growl before turning around and running deeper into the forest. Echostar let his shoulders droop. Had he just made this argument worse? What would Blacktail do now?

-

Brambles scraped against his fur, but Blacktail barely felt them. _How dare he!_ he thought angrily. _How dare he drag her into this!_

Panting, he stopped when he reached the small creek that marked the LeafClan border. By the time he had calmed down, the sun had set and the sky was a starless black. Looking up, he scanned it for at least one star. Was it true that StarClan had been banished? _Are you okay, little sister?_ A small breeze blew, but he recieved no answer.

"StarClan have been silent for far too long, haven't they?" He looked back down to see Elmstar staring at him from across the border. He opened his mouth to warn her not to take a step closer, but then shut it again. After all, she seemed so small, he half feared that she would be carried away by the wind.

"I wonder why they refuse to help my Clan," she murmured when he did not reply. "Can they truly be cruel enough to let us die?"

"It's not that they don't want to help, it's that they can't," Blacktail blurted out. His sympathy for the leader had taken over his conscience.

The brown she-cat closed her eyes. "So WillowClan received the same sign from that Tigerstar, eh? StarClan have lost their war, which is making us lose ours."

"I'm sorry," Blacktail whispered. He wanted to help, but knew that Echostar would punish him, and the said punishment would be more severe for him than any other cat.

Elmstar shook her head. "Don't be, young Blacktail. I won't blame the branches because the trunk is in my way."

He nodded, although in truth, he didn't understand what the she-cat was saying. Suddenly, Elmstar slowly turned around. "Blackstar," she meowed. "It saddens me to say this, for my quarrel is not with you, but if your leader continues to deny my Clan the right to eat, then we may see each other in battle."

"I understand," he replied solemnly.

She flicked her ears to say that she had heard him and then disappeared into the bracken, the only proof that she had been there being the small paw prints that she had left in the mud.

Blacktail returned his gaze once again to the sky, but this time, he wasn't wondering about Gentlepaw. "Amberstorm," he whispered. "I know you're alive. You're the only one who can change Echostar's mind. Please come home."

-

Amberstorm sneezed as she padded beside Jasper. They had crossed the bridge without any problems and now were at the Gathering area.

"We're almost there," Squirrelflight said. "Are you ready Amberstorm?"

She nodded. "I'll be fine." _As long as I have someone by my side,_ she silently added.

Jasper gently nudged her. "Are you okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"You just seem a bit quiet, that's all."

She shrugged. "I guess I'm just a bit nervous about what my friends' reactions are going to be. They all think I'm dead after all."

He purred. "Well, if I were them, I would be overjoyed to get you back."

She smirked and padded a bit ahead of Jasper and right beside Bramblestar. "So do we have a clear path back to WillowClan?"

As if to answer her question, a large gust of wind blew, causing her to close her eyes and put her ears back. Once it had died down, she opened her eyes just have them grow wider.

There, standing in front of the group were Tigerstar, looking strangely calm. This time, though, he wasn't alone. Sitting next to him with her teeth bared was the ghostly shape of Mistpelt.

"Mistpelt?" Amberstorm whimpered. "W-What...?"

"Tigerstar said he needed help getting rid of a pest," she snarled. "I didn't know it was you, though."

"Listen, Mistpelt. What happened was purely an accident. I didn't mean to-

"Oh trust me, dear Amberstorm," she interrupted. "I've hated you many seasons before that."

"But, why?"

Bramblestar unsheathed his claws. "Mistpelt, say nothing!" he hissed.

"It's about time she knew," Mistpelt snapped and then returned her gaze onto Amberstorm. "I've wanted to kill you ever since you took my life as a kit."

At this point, Amberstorm's head was swimming in confusion. "How could I have killed you as a kit? You died when we fought on the cliffs!"

The silver she-cat let out a harsh laugh. "You really have succeeded in keeping her ignorant, haven't you Bramblestar? Don't worry, though. All will be explained, my dear daughter."


	10. Chapter 8

"Daughter?" Amberstorm echoed. "How is that possible? You're only two moons older than me!"

Mistpelt looked at her, a sneer on her face. "You are more uninformed than I had expected. I am much older than I appear, Amberstorm."

Amberstorm took a step back, still confused. Looking back and Bramblestar and Squirrelflight, she mewed, "What does she mean? Explain!"

Before either cat replied, Mistpelt took a step forward. "I'll tell you. I might as well, seeing as you'll learn the truth when you die."

Amberstorm put her ears back, but stayed quiet. Jasper, on the other hand, let out a small growl.

"To put it simply, I was reincarnated." Mistpelt began. "In my previous life, I was known as Frostwhisker."

"Frostwhisker," Amberstorm murmured. The name sounded familiar.

"Yes. And as Frostwhisker, I had fallen in love with your fool of a father." She paused, savoring the small flinch that Amberstorm let out. "We had one kit, which was you, and that in itself was a mistake." Her sneer soon turned into a snarl. "I died giving birth to you; a kit that I didn't even want."

"So is that why you hate me?" The tabby whispered. "Because you died giving birth to me."

Mistpelt nodded. "Once I had died, I quickly grew angry, wanting revenge. One day, I met Tigerstar when I wandered too far out of the StarClan territory. He made a deal with me that he would help me gain my revenge. My sister, Oceanspray had given birth to kits two moons before. My soul was to replace the one of the she-cat that I am today. Ever since then, I became what you hated most; even-tempered, lovely, and perfect. I needed you to hate me to have it work."

She opened her mouth to continue, but Amberstorm interrupted her. "I've heard enough," she growled. "Now let me go home."

The silver she-cat's eyes widened in shock. "Let you go?" she repeated. "Why would I do that, when I can easily avenge my own death here?"

Right as she said that, Tigerstar let out a yowl and rammed into Bramblestar. Soon the two toms were a blur of brown tabby fur, making it impossible for Amberstorm to tell one from the other.

"Bramblestar!" Squirrelflight gasped, half worry, half exasperation. Running towards the two toms, she jumped into the fray and help Bramblestar fend off his father.

Amberstorm started to head over to them as well, but soon was stopped by Mistpelt, who ran at her and viciously clawed at her sides, leaving wounds where her claws were. She may have been dead, but her claws were still dangerous.

Letting out a screech of pain, Amberstorm quickly rolled away from the blows. Staggering back up to her paws, she prepared herself for another onset of attacks.

"Are you ready now?" Mistpelt hissed, scorn filling her voice. She then ran at Amberstorm again, but this time she was ready.

Jumping to the side, Amberstorm managed to bite down on Mistpelt's hind leg. Grasping as hard as she could, she braced herself as her mother thrashed and yowled. Suddenly, Mistpelt's leg was ripped out of her mouth. Whipping around to get ready to fight again, Amberstorm's eyes widened at the scene in front of her. Instead of Mistpelt running at her, Jasper was on top of the she-cat clawing at her underbelly. It was clear that he had had no warrior training at all, but his blows were still powerful.

"Blasted kittypet!" Mistpelt caterwauled and pushed Jasper off with her back legs. Once Jasper had hit the ground, she pounced on him and quickly bit down on his throat.

"Jasper!" Amberstorm dashed towards the two cats and slammed into Mistpelt as hard as she could. "Keep your paws off of him!"

Mistpelt let out a gasp as she skidded across the rocky ground. Throwing away her advantage, Amberstorm looked to see Jasper getting to his paws. Behind the tom, Squirrelflight and Bramblestar were still fighting with Tigerstar.

Suddenly, Tigerstar leaped back and hissed, "This isn't over!"

"It never will be," his son growled.

The huge tabby let out a snarl before dissapearing into shadows. Turning around, Amberstorm found that Mistpelt had disappeared as well.

"We won," Jasper panted.

She shook her head. "No we didn't. They'll come back. I'm sure of it."

Squirrelflight shook flicked her ears. "And when they do, we'll be prepared. Now, come, let's get to the camp."

Amberstorm nodded and padded up to Jasper's side. The two leaned on each other before following Bramblestar and Squirrelflight.

-

"Let all cats gather beneath the Skybranch!" Echostar's yowl echoed across the clearing. As he watched WillowClan group underneath him, he felt a small twinge of satisfaction. Today, he would be preforming two ceremonies that would make his Clan stronger.

When everyone had sat down, the tom began. "Six moons ago, WillowClan was blessed with the birth of our first litter of kits. Today, I am proud to say that all three of them are ready to become apprentices." When he looked down, all three of Birdsong's kits eyes were shining as they waited to be given their new names.

"Willowkit," the gray she-kit practically jumped in the air when he called out her name. "From this moment on, you will be known as Willowpaw." Quickly scanning the small group of cats, Echostar meowed, "Gingerfur, you will mentor Willowpaw."

The ginger she-cat stood up, happiness and surprise coming off her in waves, and walked up to Willowpaw.

"You have shown yourself to be a determined and courageous warrior. I trust that you will pass on all that you know to Willowpaw."

Gingerfur nodded and gently touched noses with the small cat. They then padded to the edge of the clearing.

"Mousekit, step forward." When the tom had done so, Echostar said, "From this moment on, you will be known as Mousepaw." His blue eyes then trailed over to Forestgaze. "I have been told that you wish to travel the path of a medicine cat, Mousepaw. If this is so, then Forestgaze shall be your mentor."

The brown tom flicked up his ears in excitement and padded over to the medicine cat. After they had touched noses, Echostar said, "And lastly, Littlekit. From the moment on, you will be known as Littlepaw. I will be your mentor."

As he slithered down the tree and then touched noses with Littlepaw, he felt a small twinge of excitement. This would be his first apprentice! _I'll do my best,_ he vowed.

After Littlepaw went to go and join his littermates, Echostar looked at his Clan. "Before you all leave, there is one more ceremony that I would like to preform. Sunpaw, please step forward. It is time that you were given your warrior name."

"Finally!" the ginger tom mewed, causing Echostar to let out a purr. When Sunpaw approached him, he began reciting the acient words.

"I, Echostar, leader of WillowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down at this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I comend them to you as a warrior in their turn. Sunpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Sunpaw met his gaze evenly and replied, "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Sunpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Sunwhisker. StarClan honors your determination and will, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WillowClan." Echostar then stepped foward and rested his muzzle on Sunwhisker's bowed head, and in turn, Sunwhisker licked his shoulder.

"Sunwhisker! Sunwhisker!"

When Echostar heard the Clan gasp, he realized that the chant didn't come from any of his warriors. Looking up, he saw four cats at the entrance of the camp. One, he recognized as Bramblestar. Next to Bramblestar was a dark ginger she-cat with a white paw and then on the other side of the tabby leader was a brown tom with a white underbelly and -

"Amberstorm!" Blacktail cried.


	11. Chapter 9

Amberstorm let out a purr as Blacktail dashed towards her and touched his nose against hers. "You seem happy to see me," she gently teased her friend.

"Of course I am!" the tom exclaimed. "I knew you weren't dead." He took a step back and looked at Squirrelflight, Bramblestar, and Jasper. "Where did you find these three?"

She looked back at her companions. "Well, Squirrelflight and Bramblestar found me and Jasper...Well, Jasper helped me in a tight spot." The tabby refused to mention Lilly. It was too soon for her.

Before Blacktail could reply, Echostar had padded over to the group and let out a growl. "How dare you return?"

Amberstorm flattened her ears in surprise. "What are you talking about? I wasn't going to abandon my Clan forever!"

The leader bared his teeth. "I don't allow murderers in WillowClan."

Amberstorm gaped at him for a few moments before it hit her. _Mistpelt_. "I didn't murder her, Echostar. Her death was accidental."

"Liar!" he snarled. "You were fighting and drove her over the cliff."

"It was an accident!" she repeated.

"If you don't mind, I would like to speak." Squirrelflight had stepped forward. "I know this seems hard to believe, Echostar, but Mistpelt started the fight, not Amberstorm."

Echostar snorted. "Why should I believe you?"

The ginger she-cat let out a hiss. "I don't know, maybe because I'm from StarClan?"

"It's true," Bramblestar rumbled. "She set a trap that led Amberstorm to the gorge. Mistpelt wanted to kill her, but it seems as though her plans were flawed."

Echostar narrowed his eyes. "Why would Mistpelt want to kill a cat?"

"Why would Amberstorm want to kill a cat?" Jasper, who had been watching silently, suddenly countered. "Why were you so quick to blame her?"

"Well...she..."

Amberstorm's hackles rose as she felt a flash of anger. "It's just because you loved her, isn't it?"

"No..! It's just that..." his mew trailed of once again. Drawing in a deep breath, he continued. "When I was receiving my nine lives, Blackstar told me to watch for a silent killer. And since...since you were always aggressive towards Mistpelt, I thought that you were that killer."

"That is the most mouse-brained reason I have ever heard!" she yowled.

"It was the only evidence that I ever found!"

Amberstorm turned towards Squirrelflight. "What was StarClan thinking when they made him leader?" Despite the anger in her mew, the tabby felt a heart-wrenching sadness inside her. _He hates me now! It wasn't supposed to be like this._

By now, the whole Clan had surrounded the group. Speckledpelt, Minnowstream, Tallwhisker, and Firestorm stared at Echostar through narrowed eyes and Blacktail growled quietly at the black pawed leader. Sunwhisker looked uncomfortable, while Shadowclaw closed her eyes. Crookedtail stepped in between Echostar and Amberstorm and cleared his throat.

"Echostar, as your deputy, it is my duty to help you with decisions such as these," he meowed quietly. "I think we should allow Amberstorm to stay."

"_What_?" Echostar exclaimed.

The brown and white tom blinked. "She has both StarClan and the Place of No Stars behind her, claiming she's innocent. These cats can see everything; it's obvious that they were watching the fight when it had happened. Besides," he stared at Jasper, "she has given us a cat that could easily become a strong warrior with a little training."

Amberstorm stepped closer to Jasper when he was mentioned. I would give anything to have him as a Clan mate, she thought. "He is strong, although he's a kittypet," she mewed.

"He's a kittypet?" Speckledpelt spat. "We can't let a kittypet in our Clan!"

Jasper stepped forward. "I'm not a soft fed fat lump of nothing, thank you very much," he hissed. "I could take you on, anytime, anywhere."

The spotted warrior hissed and unsheathed her claws, but Echostar signaled her to fall back. When he spoke, his voice was as cold as leaf-bare.

"I'll allow Amberstorm to return to the Clans, but as for this kittypet..."

"My name is Jasper," Jasper interrupted.

Echostar growled. "As for _Jasper_, he will have to prove to me that he has what it takes to be a warrior." He then began to walk towards his den.

"Wait!" Squirrelflight cried out. "There's more we must tell you! StarClan has lost the fight. We need-

"I'm not a medicine cat," Echostar interrupted. "Speak to Forestgaze. She's in her den."

When the tom had dissapeared into his den, the Clan looked at each other, shocked. Even Crookedtail looked slightly confused.

"This isn't like him," the deputy murmured.

"How long has he been like this?" Amberstorm asked.

This time, Blacktail answered. "Well, he's been tense lately, but never as bad as this."

"Is it because he and you have been arguing?" Minnowstream meowed quietly.

"It might be that."

_They've been arguing about me, haven't they?_ Amberstorm thought.

Bramblestar cleared his throat. "Squirrelflight and I have to go talk to Forestgaze, Amberstorm." With that, he padded towards the medicine, with the ginger she-cat following him.

"And Mousepaw!" the tabby saw a light gray she-cat near Gingerfur's paws. "Mousepaw's the medicine cat apprentice!" Her blue gaze turned to Jasper. "If you're hurt, you should go see him! He'll be the best medicine cat ever."

Jasper purred. "I'll be sure to remember that."

Amberstorm blinked. Who had kits? Turning towards Blacktail, she tilted her head sideways. "Who are the new apprentices?"

"Well, as you already know, Mousepaw is Forestgaze's new apprentice, Willowpaw, the gray she-cat, is Gingerfur's apprentice, and over there, by Birdsong is Littlepaw, Echostar's apprentice. They're Birdsong and Tallwhisker's kits."

"Birdsong and Tallwhisker," she murmured. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Because it was painfully obvious," Blacktail purred. He then turned towards Jasper. "I'm Blacktail, by the way. If you would like, I could show you around."

Before replying Jasper cast an uneasy look towards Amberstorm. Nodding, she said, "Don't worry. Blacktail won't hurt you."

Once the two toms had padded away, the tabby she-cat looked around at her Clan mates, who had dispersed. She sighed, knowing that everyone's lives had gone on without her. Even Blacktail seemed to have moved on, despite that fact that he was overjoyed to see her. _It's to be expected_, she reminded herself.

"Hey, Amberstorm!" she whipped her head around to see Gingerfur approaching her, with the usual mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Hello, Gingerfur. I see you haven't changed much."

"Not a bit!" The ginger cat then leaned forward and touched Amberstorm's left ear, which was split. "I remember that. A mark that I gave you as a reminder of the time I beat you on the border."

Amberstorm stepped back in surprise. "_You_ beat _me_? I'm afraid it was the other way around."

"Whatever. You hit the ground so hard, there were more leaves stuck on your pelt than there were clinging to the trees in your territory!"

Amberstorm flicked her tail and crouched on the ground. "Maybe we should do a recap and see who the real winner is!"

It surprised her when Gingerfur's hackles rose slightly and she backed away. _She thinks I'm serious_! Amberstorm realized. Standing back up, she looked down at the ground and sighed.

"I was just joking," she mewed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that."

"It's...fine," Gingerfur stammered. "I've, um… Gotta go get some rest. See you tomorrow." With that, she quickly padded towards the warriors' den.

Amberstorm's whiskers drooped slightly. _Gingerfur thought I was actually going to harm her,_ she thought. _They may believe me when I say that Mistpelt's death was an accident, but they're still wary of me! Will I ever truly belong again?_


	12. Chapter 10

"Echostar?"

Echostar looked up from his nest and stared at the dark ginger she-cat standing at the entrance of his den, blocking out the snowfall that colored the camp below a pure white. Standing up and quickly stretching, he meowed, "Yes, Squirrelflight?"

"Bramblestar and I just finished talking to Forestgaze." Her eyes darkened before she went on: "We have come to a decision on what to do concerning the battle with the Place of No Stars. The only thing is that we need your approval before actually taking the plan into action."

The black-pawed tom perked his ears slightly. "Very well. What's the plan?"

"Echostar!" An alarmed screech stopped Squirrelflight from speaking. Soon, Willowpaw had scrabbled onto the Skybranch, her light gray pelt barely visible in the snow. "Echostar, come quickly!"

Echostar brushed past Squirrelflight to look at the apprentice. She was trembling slightly and her eyes were stretched wide. "What's wrong, Willowpaw?" he asked.

"It's LeafClan!" she wailed. "They're attacking. They ambushed our patrol. We're outnumbered! You have to help; Tallwhisker's hurt and..." Her voice trailed off as she struggled to catch her breath.

Echostar felt his pelt bristle. How dare they ambush his Clan on their own territory! Without glancing at either she-cat next to him, he quickly scrambled down the tree. There was no time to call a Clan meeting - he would just find his remaining warriors himself. Dashing into the warriors' den, he nearly collided with Shadowclaw.

"I heard Willowpaw's voice," she mewed. "What's going on?"

"LeafClan is attacking," he growled loud enough so the other cats in the den could hear him. Looking around, he added, "Sunwhisker, Amberstorm, Birdsong, Jasper, and you, Shadowclaw, come with me. We need to help the patrol."

"LeafClan...?" Jasper blinked and looked at Amberstorm, who was already on her paws.

"The other Clan," she quickly replied and padded up to Echostar. "Let's go."

Echostar narrowed his eyes slightly at the tabby's eagerness, but remained silent. Once his warriors were ready, he quickly made his way to the camp entrance, the patrol following. The WillowClan leader picked up his pace once they had entered the forest, but Amberstorm's yowl made him freeze in his tracks.

"It's the patrol!"

Quickly scanning his surroundings, Echostar finally spotted Crookedtail dashing towards them, with Tallwhisker, Blacktail, and Gingerfur hard on his paws. Blood splattered the ground from their injuries, and their fear scent washed away the smell of the forest.

"Get into the camp!" Crookedtail caterwauled.

Echostar stepped in front of the deputy. "What's going on, Crookedtail?"

Instead of replying, Crookedtail merely turned back around, his tail fluffed up twice its normal size. Following his gaze, Echostar felt his heart skip a beat.

Nearly all the warriors and apprentices of LeafClan were running straight at them.

"Great, StarClan," Sunwhisker breathed. "We'll never win!"

"We have to try!" Echostar growled. "Quickly, get back into camp...and guard the apprentices!" _They haven't even had battle training yet,_ he added silently.

Swiftly turning around, he exploded into the camp. "Attack!" he screeched and turned back around to face the entrance. He would give all nine of his lives to win this battle and protect his Clanmates.

Soon, LeafClan was upon them and the clearing exploded into battle. Echostar's heart sank when he realized that they were outnumbered. He quickly spotted Minnowstream, who was grappling with two toms twice her size. Unsheathing his claws, he ran towards the warriors, but was quickly halted when a lithe brown cat rammed into him.

"We meet again, Echostar," a hissed tickled his ear.

Looking up, blue eyes met yellow and Echostar let out a snarl. "Elmstar! This battle is unjust! We've done nothing wrong!"

"You denied my Clan the right to eat," Elmstar growled. "I believe that that's reason enough to start a battle."

Echostar easily pushed the skinny she-cat off of him and got back on his paws. "You brought your whole Clan here; you haven't started a battle, you've started a war."

"Call it what you will," she spat, "but LeafClan will be victorious."

_In your dreams!_ Echostar let out a fierce battle cry and lunged at Elmstar.

Once again, Echostar easily overtook the other leader. As his claws dug into her ribs and glared at her, he couldn't help but notice how skinny she was. _They truly haven't been eating enough,_ he thought. _But that doesn't give them any reason to attack our camp!_

Suddenly, pain exploded from his side where Elmstar's claws and torn through his flesh. She may be skinny, but her skill hadn't abandoned her quite yet. Hissing in rage, Echostar clawed her underbelly, but quickly jumped off the she-cat when she lunged for his eyes.

"I'll give one more chance Elmstar," he panted. "Take your warriors and leave."

"Never!" she spat and ran at him again, causing them both to crash into the clearing where Forestgaze kept her den. The medicine cat and her apprentice were nowhere to be seen, though, and their leader assumed that they had hidden away from the battle.

Once they had broken apart, Echostar decided to try to negotiate with her again. "Elmstar, this can't be the will of StarClan."

The brown cat narrowed her eyes. "Oh really? If they don't approve of this battle, then why aren't they helping you like they did before?" When he didn't reply, she reared up and went to claw his neck.

Quickly dodging, he dashed under her paws and gave a sharp nip to her back leg. Rolling away so she wouldn't fall on him, he managed to claw her side as he went by. Skidding to a halt, Echostar glared at his opponent, who was having a hard time staying on her paws. _This battle is too easy!_ He thought. But then again, it wasn't that hard to fight an old, starved she-cat. It honestly didn't even seem like a fair fight to the WillowClan leader. _I have to fight though. She is a threat to my Clan. _

Echostar tensed as Elmstar ran at him once again. He bared his teeth in a snarl, he watched her closely, trying to find out how she would attack. The LeafClan leader jumped onto her hind legs and prepared to claw at his head. _There!_ Echostar lashed out with his front paw and aimed a sharp blow at her stomach. Echostar felt a thrill of excitement, knowing that this attack would send Elmstar and her warriors back to her own territory. Suddenly, excitement turned to horror as he realized that he had timed it too late. His aim was off. Claws met flesh and blood splattered onto the short-cropped grass. As Elmstar fell to the ground, Echostar began to shake.

He had torn out her throat.

The light in her yellow eyes was quickly fading as Elmstar let out a rasp so quiet, Echostar barely heard it. "I...Just wanted what was best for my Clan," she said. Her body then jerked and she became still.

Echostar didn't even hear the screeches of battle coming from the main part of camp as he stared at the body before him. "StarClan, don't let that be her last life," he whispered.

But wherever it was, StarClan did not hear him. Elmstar's body never moved and her eyes were sightless. She was dead. The black-pawed tom felt sick as the blood on his paws was painfully obvious. Sickness changed to sorrow when he realized that the first cat he had ever killed was the one that allowed him and his Clan to live here in the first place. _I owe her so much,_ he thought,_ even if we were rivals. _

"Echostar?" Forestgaze's mew jerked him out of his thoughts as she padded up to his side.

"I killed her," was all he could say to her.

The medicine cat placed her tail on his shoulder. "I know. I saw the whole thing. You didn't mean to, Echostar; it was just a horrible accident. You know that, right?"

Echostar felt like wailing like a kit. "But she's dead! All she was doing was fighting for the sake of LeafClan and I killed her!"

"This is the life of a warrior," Forestgaze murmured. "Cats die in battle. It doesn't matter what they're fighting for. It just happens."

Before he could reply, three cats crashed into the clearing. In front was Nightfang, his pelt covered with wounds. Chasing him were Amberstorm and Blacktail. Both cats' eyes were glittering with rage as they closed in on the deputy, but when they saw Elmstar's body, all three stopped.

"Great StarClan!" Amberstorm gasped.

"Elmstar!" Nightfang dashed to his leader's side, his amber eyes stretched wide. He nudged her body for a few moments and when it didn't move, his hackles rose and he spun around to face Echostar. "You killed her!" he screeched. "You worthless piece of fox-dung; I'll destroy you!" He began to run towards Echostar, but Blacktail intercepted him.

"If you attack Echostar, then all of WillowClan will be upon you," he meowed calmly. "Then you'll be dead. Is that really worth it?"

"She was my leader," Nightfang snarled.

"I understand that; I felt the same way when my leader in TreeClan died, but think about Elmstar. Would she want you to be killed, therefore leaving her Clan without a leader? Or would she want you to carry on in her paw steps?"

Echostar flinched when a crow cawed loudly. Looking up, he saw the large crow-food eater in the tree just above Blacktail and Nightfang. He looked away, knowing too well what the bird was there for. Looking over to Forestgaze for support, he was surprised to see her staring at the crow, her fur spiked like a hedgehog. Was she afraid of crows? No, that couldn't be it. Was she receiving a prophecy? _But how?_ Echostar wondered. _StarClan is gone! Is Tigerstar sending her a prophecy?_

Amberstorm stood still as she watched Blacktail and Nightfang. She prayed that Blacktail would be careful; Nightfang was a dangerous foe and he would be even more aggressive at the news of his leader's death. She relaxed slightly when she realized that Blacktail's words had calmed the deputy a little. The relaxation was short lived as the crow cawed once more. The tabby let her claws slip out again. This bird would not make a meal out of any cat, especially not Elmstar. Despite the fact that she was the enemy, she was also a leader and her body should be treated with upmost respect.

"Fine," Nightfang hissed. "I won't attack; not this time at least." He flashed another searing glare at Echostar before gently grabbing Elmstar's scruff and heading towards the main camp.

Amberstorm stepped aside to let the tom pass. She stared after him, noticing that his tail was drooping and his head was low. _He and Elmstar must have been close,_ she mused. Feeling a rush of anger, she turned and glared at Echostar. "I thought warriors didn't need to kill to win a battle."

Echostar put his ears back. "It was an accident. There's no need for you to speak to me like that about it."

_You hypocrite!_ "Then why do you have any right to speak to me in a similar way about Mistpelt?"

The tom hissed. "That wasn't an accident! You just murdered her because you're following in Tigerstar's paw steps!"

Instantly, Amberstorm was on him. Taking advantage of his surprise, she pinned him to the ground. "I am _nothing_ like Tigerstar," she snarled. "And you don't even know half of the things Mistpelt had planned."

"Amberstorm, that's enough," Blacktail calmly meowed. "He's not worth it, trust me."

She hesitated for a moment before allowing Echostar to get up. The leader glared at her once more before padding away. Amberstorm looked at her paws. _A warrior is supposed to respect their leader,_ she thought, _but what if their leader doesn't respect them?_

"Amberstorm?" She looked up at the sound of Blacktail's calm voice. "Let's go over to the others. Jasper will probably be worried about you." There was a faint glimmer of amusement in his eyes, as if he already knew about her and the kittypet's admiration for each other.

She nodded and went to follow him, but Forestgaze stopped her. "Blacktail, I have to speak to Amberstorm privately," she mewed. Blacktail looked confused, but nodded and walked away. Once he was out of earshot Forestgaze turned towards Amberstorm. The strange gleam in her eyes made the tabby uneasy.

"What is it?" Amberstorm asked.

"I received a prophecy," she replied. "I think it's about either Nightfang or Blacktail."

Her interested peaked when the medicine cat had mentioned her best friend, but she still felt reluctant to hear it. "Then why aren't you talking to Echostar about it?"

Forestgaze sat down. "He and Blacktail haven't gotten along lately," she explained. "If I told him, he would accuse Blacktail, and I don't want him to overreact, especially if Blacktail is innocent."

Amberstorm sighed. "Very well; what's the prophecy?"

The bracken colored she-cat got a distant look in her eye. "A cat the color of night will rise up and set the willows ablaze."

Amberstorm blinked. "Well it's Nightfang of course! He's the new LeafClan leader, and he wants revenge since Echostar killed Elmstar."

Forestgaze shook her head. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. You see, while you were gone, Blacktail began to hate Echostar for accusing you of murder. Quite a few cats agree with him, too."

"What are you trying to say? That Blacktail might lead a revolt?" Her heart dropped at the thought.

"It's possible."

She sighed. "I'll...keep an eye on Blacktail." Amberstorm narrowed her eyes. "But we can't rule out Nightfang."

"Of course we won't," Forestgaze mewed.

"Good." She then stood up, nodded to Forestgaze, and walked back into the camp. She didn't bother waiting for the medicine cat so she could be healed; all her wounds were minor.

"Amberstorm! You're okay!" She let out a purr as Jasper ran towards her. The tom halted to a stop in front of her and pressed his muzzle against her cheek.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I am now that I know you're okay."

She blinked affectionately at him before looking around the camp. By the looks of things, she and Blacktail were lucky. Minnowstream had claw marks stretched across her side, Crookedtail was lying under a tree, blood trickling down his shoulder and his head, and Gingerfur had a gash in her underbelly.

"It's going to take a while to recover," she muttered. When she turned to face her companion, though, she was surprised to see his fur spiked up and his eyes wide. "Jasper, what's wrong?" When she followed his gaze, she got her answer.

There, in the center of the camp, Littlepaw was lying on the ground, his paws splayed out and blood from a wound in his chest turning the grass scarlet. Beside him, his littermates Willowpaw and Mousepaw stared down in pure horror. Suddenly, at the same time, Forestgaze and Echostar dashed up to the apprentices.

"No," Echostar whispered. "Great StarClan, no..."

Forestgaze quickly began to press cobwebs that she had brought with her to the small cat's chest. Turning towards Amberstorm and Jasper, she meowed, "Go get Tallwhisker and Birdsong! Hurry!"

"Where are they?" Amberstorm breathed.

"They went with Shadowclaw, Speckledpelt, Firestorm, and Sunwhisker to make sure that LeafClan returned to their territory," Jasper quickly explained. "Let's go."

Soon, both cats were dashing through the forest, following the patrol's scent. Amberstorm suppressed a shiver as rain began to fall. Soon, she saw the pelts of the cats that they were looking for and increased her speed. "Tallwhisker! Birdsong!" she yowled. Both cats turned around as she did so.

"What's wrong?" Tallwhisker asked.

"It's Littlepaw," Jasper panted. "He's been gravely injured."

"No!" Birdsong wailed and dashed towards the path that led back to camp. Unfortunately, her panic made her less aware to her surroundings and the blind she-cat stumbled over a fallen tree.

Quickly, Tallwhisker ran in front of her and placed his tail on her shoulders. "I'll lead you back," he meowed gently to his mate. Together, both cats quickly headed back to the camp.

"The poor little scrap," Shadowclaw meowed. "I hope he's alright." She looked towards Amberstorm. "How bad is it?"

"A chest wound," she explained. "It looks pretty deep."

Sunwhisker's eyes stretched wide. "He was only made an apprentice a day ago!"

Speckledpelt shook her head. "StarClan help him."

"What will happen to him," Firestorm whispered, "since StarClan has been banished?"

Amberstorm felt a jolt of horror. What the she-cat said was true. If the tom died, where would his spirit go? _Where is Elmstar's soul now?_

All the cats stood there in silence before Shadowclaw stood up and flicked her tail in a silent signal. Amberstorm followed her, her tail trailing across the ground and her head bent low. _My first battle as a WillowClan warrior,_ she thought, _and our youngest apprentice might die!_

When they got back, the tabby looked up to see Birdsong and Tallwhisker crouched down by their son. Birdsong was leaning against her mate, trembling, while Tallwhisker stood there as if he still couldn't believe that this was happening. Forestgaze had stepped back from the apprentice. Her head was bowed and her eyes were closed. Instantly, Amberstorm knew why.

_He's dying._

"How bad is it?" Birdsong finally mewed.

"It's bad," Tallwhisker replied, his voice breaking.

Littlepaw's eyes slowly opened at the sounds of his parents' voices. "M-Mama?" he squeaked.

"I'm here, little one," the blue-gray warrior murmured.

"Mama, I don't want to die. Where will I go? I won't be able to find StarClan."

Tallwhisker leaned down and licked the top of Littlepaw's head. "StarClan will find you." His voice was so quiet; Amberstorm had to lean forward to hear him.

The statement calmed the small black tom and he let out a sigh. "Then when they find me, I'll ask...I'll ask them to give Mama better eyes."

Birdsong forced a smile. "I would be very thankful if you did that," she meowed.

"I'm sorry for being nasty." Littlepaw's voice was getting quieter and blood trickled out of the side of his mouth. "Do you forgive me?"

"Of course we do," Tallwhisker replied.

If Littlepaw had said anything else, the Amberstorm didn't hear him. She watched, grief enveloping her as his eyes closed and the rise and fall of his stomach stopped. Birdsong let out a strangle sob and lifted her head to the sky and let out a chilling wail.

Littlepaw was dead.


	13. Chapter 11

Echostar barely held back a yowl of grief as he stared down at the lifeless body of his new apprentice. _He was far too young,_ he thought. _Should I have done something different? Should I have held him back until he grew more?_

But the leader new that even when he grew, Littlepaw would have only grown to the size of an older apprentice when he was done growing. And if he did wait, StarClan only knew what a fuss that would have caused... Shaking his head slightly, he dared to look at Birdsong and Tallwhisker.

Birdsong was hunched over Littlepaw, her body trembling. Her mate was staring at her as if he wanted to comfort her, but didn't know how. Echostar padded closer to the two and looked down.

"I'm sorry," he meowed. "This shouldn't have happened. I assure you, though; his death will not be in vain."

The glare he received from Birdsong shocked him to the point that he thought she could see him. "This is your entire fault!" she snapped. "If you didn't deny LeafClan hunting rights, then there would have never been a battle and Littlepaw would still be alive!" Before he could reply, she stalked off to the warriors' den.

"I'm sorry Echostar," Tallwhisker murmured. "She's in a lot of pain. We were hoping that all our children would become full grown cats."

Echostar blinked at his old friend. "I understand."

"It's nobody's fault." Both toms turned around to see Amberstorm pad up. She touched her nose to Littlepaw's fur for a moment before looking up again. "These things just happen sometimes."

_I thought you were angry at me for killing Elmstar!_ Echostar felt his lips curl up in a snarl, but Tallwhisker quickly placed his tail tip on his shoulder as a warning.

Amberstorm flicked her tail. "We'll have to watch Nightfang- er...Nightstar. He may want to launch another attack for revenge."

Crookedtail, who had been listening from a distance, approached. "She's right," he agreed. "We should increase patrols."

Echostar nodded slightly, but narrowed his eyes. Why was Amberstorm acting so superior all of a sudden? She had only been back for a day and a half! "Alright, tomorrow we'll start boosting patrols. I want a pre-dawn patrol."

"A pre-dawn patrol?" the tabby echoed. "How about we wait until all the cats are healed so they have the strength to do that. We could just have two patrols; one scouting one half and another scouting the other. That will make them shorter so they have time to heal and the border will still be marked."

"That's a good plan," Crookedtail rumbled.

Echostar let out a growl. "I am the leader, not her. I said I wanted a pre-dawn patrol and that's final." He then left the two cats looking after him, bewildered.

When he had scrambled up the tree and got onto the Skybranch, he almost collided with Shadowclaw, who was padding out of his den. Blinking in surprise, he meowed, "Why were you in there?"

"I left you some prey," she replied. Her voice hardened and she added: "I'm your mate. Why can't I be in your den?"

Echostar shrugged. "Well, it's the leader's den and..."

"So? That doesn't mean StarClan will shoot lightning at me for going into it." Shadowclaw turned away. "I think you love your position more than you love me."

"That's not true!" he protested. "I love you more than anything!"

"Then why don't you ever talk to me? It seems like you don't even care!"

Echostar took a step forward. "Shadowclaw, I do, I promise. Things have just been stressful for me. You understand, don't you?"

"I don't know," she muttered. "After all, you live in a completely different world than I do." With that, she climbed down the tree and padded to the warriors' den, her tail drooping.

Echostar sighed. It seemed as though he and his mate were exact opposites, just like their pelts. When he walked into the den, he saw a large rabbit in the center, too large for him to finish by himself. His heart sank; Shadowclaw was probably going to ask him if he wanted to share.

"I'm such a mouse-brain," he muttered. Padding up to his nest, he quickly laid down and fell into a deep sleep.

"Echostar!" a familiar yowl hit his ears. Blinking open his blue eyes, he let out a startled gasp.

"Crystalheart?" His sister was alright!

She nodded, the usual playful glint in her eyes gone. "Yes, it's me, but there's no time to chat. StarClan needs you, Echostar."

He tipped his head to one side. "What do you mean? Where is StarClan, anyway?"

"We were banished," Crystalheart explained quickly and looked over her shoulder. "I can't be here long; Tigerstar will find me." Her gaze turned back to Echostar. "You're failing, Echostar. You've been so caught up in what happened to Mistpelt that your Clan is starting to doubt you, and accusing Amberstorm of being a murderer and then killing Elmstar didn't help you at all."

He put his ears back defensively. "How was I to know that Amberstorm wasn't the one who started the fight? Besides, Elmstar's death was an accident. If you ask me, I'm doing fine as a leader."

"Well I didn't ask you!" she spat. "Can't you see? Amberstorm and Blacktail aren't the only cats that you're pushing away! You're losing Shadowclaw, Crookedtail doubts your judgement, and your warriors don't agree with anything you say!"

Echostar narrowed his eyes. "What are you saying?"

"StarClan chose you as the leader because we thought that you would be perfect for the job. You're not fulfilling our expectations at all."

His lip curled up. "So how do I fufill the needs of StarClan, Crystalheart?"

Crystalheart's hackles went down. "Listen to Squirrelflight and Bramblestar," she explained. "Help them defeat Tigerstar and his lot. Then they will lead you to the skies that StarClan is hiding out in."

"How do I do that?"

"You must choose warriors to go with you. Then, you and those cats must die."


	14. Chapter 12

"Die?" Echostar spluttered. "You're madder than a fox in a fit!"

Crystalheart shook her head. "I didn't mean that you would actually die."

"Then what did you mean? You said we would have to die!"

"You and the chosen warriors will have to…" she paused and quickly looked over her shoulder, her eyes as wide as the full moon. "Fox dung!" she growled and quickly faced Echostar. "You'll find out when the time comes. Just choose your warriors and receive guidance from Squirrelflight and Bramblestar."

"But…Wait!" he cried when his sister faded away into nothing. Cursing under his breath, he looked around, trying to make out shapes in the eerie darkness. "What is this place, anyway?" he murmured. Echostar blinked, just to let out a hiss of surprise when he opened his eyes to reveal his den. Outside, silence hung over the camp. Quickly shaking the dream off, just for a moment, Echostar walked out onto the Skybranch.

Down below, Birdsong, Tallwhisker, Mousepaw, and Willowpaw were crouched down around Littlepaw's lifeless body in vigil. _I'm going to make sure they get relieved from duties and training these next few days, _Echostar thought as he scrambled down the willow tree and approached the family. When he was in front of them, he gently nudged Tallwhisker and Birdsong, causing them to jerk their heads up.

"I'll help you bury him," the leader said, "if you want me to, that is. He was my apprentice."

Immediately, Birdsongs hackles rose and when she spoke, her voice was like venom. "He was your apprentice, and yet you never sat vigil for him."

"I'm sorry," Echostar spluttered, slightly taken aback by the she-cat's harshness. "I just…"

"I'm tired of your excuses. His family will bury him. I could care less if you were his mentor. I could care less if you were a warrior of StarClan." With that, she sat up, nudged Mousepaw and Willowpaw, and the three picked up Littlepaw's body and began to carry it out of the clearing.

Echostar looked to Tallwhisker for support, but when his friend's eyes met his, they narrowed and the tom quickly looked away and caught up to his mate, guiding her towards the place that would be Littlepaw's grave.

"What have I done?" Echostar murmured. His actions could have possibly caused him to lose the support of three cats of his Clan. "I suppose neither Tallwhisker nor Birdsong will come to StarClan with me to fight now…"

"You mouse-brain!"

Echostar perked his ears at Amberstorm's mew. Turning around to defend himself, he realized that she was talking to Japser, not him. The two cats were tussling like kits, Jasper clearly losing. The tom put his ears back in disdain. _What use is he? _He thought. _He doesn't even stand a chance! He'll never be able to be a warrior. _

"Jasper needs some training, doesn't he?" Crookedtail padded up and sat down next to Echostar. "He's got the makings of a good fighter, but his technique is a bit sloppy; too slow and too random."

"He won't ever become a warrior. He's a kittypet." Echostar looked at his deputy. "Kittypets can't be warriors."

The old tom turned and met his gaze evenly. "But loners can? Shadowclaw is a fine warrior now. All she needed was a little training." He sat up and let out a sigh. "Don't judge him just because he's with Amberstorm. Give the young cat a chance. If he's earned it, give him his warrior name. That is my advice."

Echostar snorted. "Very well, but only if he's earned it." He turned his gaze back to the she-cat and tom. The two were still wrestling in the dirt, their purrs of laughter filling the air. Echostar watched as Jasper went to pounce Amberstorm, his hind legs kicking up dirt, which landed in the black-pawed tom's face. He let out a hiss of annoyance, causing Jasper to turn around.

"Echostar!" he gasped. "I'm sorry; I didn't realize you were there."

"It doesn't matter whether you noticed me or not!" Echostar growled as he shook his head, dislodging the dirt. "Amberstorm, you're a warrior, and Jasper, you claim to want to be one! Warriors don't behave like kits!"

Amberstorm put her ears back. "We were just playing. Can't we loosen up every now and then?"

Echostar unsheathed his claws and Jasper jumped in front of Amberstorm, his eyes glittering defiantly. It was evident that, if a fight broke out, Echostar would have easily won, but still, the tom held his ground. It almost impressed the WillowClan leader that he would bravely stand up against a larger and stronger enemy. Clearing his head, Echostar switched his attention from Jasper and back to the tabby she-cat behind him.

"There is no time to loosen up!" he snapped. "The warriors of StarClan are gone and we need to find them! And to top it all off, our only neighboring Clan hates us! There could be a war any day, be it in the sky or on the ground!"

"I know that," Amberstorm hissed. "I'm just as concerned as you are."

"How can I believe that when I don't even know if you're a loyal warrior or not?"

The small tabby's lips curled up in a snarl. "I _am _loyal, Echostar! I always have been! What can I do to prove that to you?"

Suddenly, an idea appeared in Echostar's head. They weren't friends anymore, but Amberstorm was a strong cat, and perhaps her fighting by his side would help him believe that she wasn't the murderer that he had always thought she was. "You want to prove yourself?" he asked. "Very well. There is some business that WillowClan needs to attend to and I must bring some of my warriors with me. At sunset, come to the medicine cat clearing."

Hostility was replaced by curiosity in her glowing amber eyes. "Business? What sort of business? And why is it so important that you have to select warriors?"

"You'll find out later." He went to walk away, but stopped when Jasper stepped forward.

"Erm…What about me?" the kittypet stammered. "Would you like me to come?"

Echostar looked over his shoulder. "No; you're not a warrior." His whiskers twitched as Amberstorm let out a hiss of exasperation. "You will stay here." He paused to glance at Jasper's neck, where a bright red collar was. "If you wish to be one of us, then take off that awful thing. True warriors don't bear the marks of Twolegs." He turned away and walked towards the fresh-kill pile, where Shadowclaw was laying down, eating a sparrow. Silently, Echostar selected a vole from the pile and settled next to her.

"Finally find some free time?" she mewed curtly.

Echostar sighed. "Shadowclaw, I'm sorry."

The she-cat turned and glared at him. "Oh? Now you're sorry? Strange, you didn't seem sorry for your attitude the other night."

"I know, I know. I've just been…stressed, is all. I shouldn't have kicked you out like that. You were right; you're my mate and are more than welcome to come into my den whenever you like."

Shadowclaw stared at him before sighing and leaning into him. "You are the stupidest tom I've ever met," she murmured. "Nonetheless, I love you and forgive you."

"Thank you," he purred. "And I love you too. I promise."

The two laid there silently as Echostar glanced around the camp, trying to find warriors to choose. How many should he bring? Crystalheart never mentioned specific numbers. He saw Bramblestar and Squirrelflight near the warriors' den and briefly thought about going to speak to them, but dismissed the thought, for he didn't want to move away from Shadowclaw at that moment. He looked at the dozing she-cat and wondered if he should ask her to come. He had always loved having next to her in battle, but should he put her in such danger? _StarClan aren't _her _ancestors, _he thought. _Why should I get her involved in a battle that doesn't have anything to do with her? _He kept telling himself this, but inside he knew that Shadowclaw was just as involved in it as he was. She was a warrior too now, after all.

_I'll think about it. _He continued to look around the camp. The tom had already decided to leave Crookedtail here, just in case Nightstar did decide to start anything. His gaze rested on the old deputy, who was speaking to Gingerfur. _Ginger fur is an excellent fighter, _he thought. _I'll bring her. I'll leave Firestorm here and she can train Willowpaw while we're gone, just in case this lasts longer than I think it will. _

Worry suddenly gripped the leader when he realized how few warriors his Clan really had. He would need quite a few for this mission, but he couldn't leave the camp without defense. Perhaps he should leave most of the cats here, but what if the battle in StarClan territory was to be more deadly than he expected? _But if I bring most of my warriors and LeafClan attacks, WillowClan will be crowfood! _Despair came over him; whatever choice he made could mean serious injuries for his Clan. What could he do?

"Maybe they're all right," he whispered. "Maybe I can't cope with leadership duties."


	15. Chapter 13

Amberstorm nosed her way through the ferns and into the clearing where Forestgaze's den was. She blinked in mild surprise when she saw other members of her Clan sitting around Echostar. Upon further inspection, she was pleased to see Blacktail sitting next to Minnowstream. Both cats gave her a friendly nod when she approached. The tabby looked around and saw Gingerfur and Sunwhisker. "What is this all about?" she murmured to Blacktail.

"Beats me," Blacktail replied. "All I know is it better be something worthwhile. Of course, knowing the crazy mouse-heart, it isn't."

Minnowstream softly nudged him. "Be respectful," she said quietly. "You may not like him, but he's your leader nonetheless."

Blacktail snorted, but said nothing else.

Echostar stood up. "You all are most likely wondering why I asked you to come here." Before any warrior could reply, he continued. "As you all know, the Place of No Stars has fought and defeated StarClan, thus banishing them from our skies. I had a dream last night; our ancestors need our help if they are to win this war. Crystalheart told me in my dream that I must pick a few of my warriors that I believe will be useful in this battle."

"Crystalheart?" Blacktail whispered. "Why would she speak to him? He's the one who practically let her die." Amberstorm wasn't quite sure who he was talking to, or if he was talking to anyone at all.

"That's all fine and dandy," Gingerfur mewed from in between Sunwhisker and Minnowstream, "but how are we going to reach StarClan? We're all very much alive, in case you haven't noticed."

"We could drink the water from the Starlake," Sunwhisker suggested. "That way we can help them in our dreams."

At that moment, Forestgaze stepped out of her den, her bright green eyes sparkling in the night. Behind her, Mousepaw poked his head out of the entrance, his curious gaze staring at the older cats. The she-cat dipped her head towards Echostar. "I apologize for eavesdropping; I know that only warriors are going, but I thought I could at least give a bit of assistance." She then faced Sunwhisker. "That _is _a good idea, but the only problem is that when you visit the spirits of StarClan via the Starlake, they have the power to dismiss you back to the waking world. I don't see any reason why these evil cats wouldn't have the same power. "

Echostar nodded. "I agree with you. Besides," his gaze grew distant, "Crystalheart didn't say that that's the route we were to take."

"Well then what _did _she say?" Amberstorm asked.

"Well she said we had to die-

Blacktail jumped up, his tail fluffed up. "You want us to die?" he hissed. "There's no way I'm agreeing to that!"

Echostar narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying you're not willing to risk your life for StarClan?"

"Of course not; all I'm saying is what if we lose? Then not only will our deaths have been in vain, but we'll be banished along with StarClan and WillowClan will lose five warriors. LeafClan will have no problem taking this territory back with our numbers reduced like that."

"Blacktail's right," Minnowstream mewed, looking afraid that she would be reprimanded for speaking against her leader.

"She couldn't have been serious, right?" Sunwhisker glanced at the older warriors. "I mean, StarClan wouldn't ask healthy warriors to go and kill themselves." Amberstorm blinked as the golden tom looked at her. "Say, where are those two warriors you traveled with? They would know the answer."

Amberstorm merely shrugged. She hadn't seen Squirrelflight or Bramblestar for a while. "Beats me. Forestgaze?" A medicine cat would obviously know where two dead warriors would be.

"They went into the forest," the she-cat glanced towards the trees. "I'm assuming that they wanted to discuss something in private. They should return soon."

* * *

"Are we sure that risking their lives like this is wise?"

Bramblestar focused his amber eyes on his companion. "Squirrelflight, this is the only way. Tigerstar and Brokenstar will only lead these cats into chaos; I realize that now."

The ginger she-cat snorted. "I wish you had realized that sooner."

"As do I. And I'm sure the others feel the same way."

Squirrelflight paused, her hackles rising. "If they feel the same way, then why not rebel like you did?" she hissed. "I didn't know that cat from RiverClan very well, but Tawnypelt and Crowfeather? They never were hostile before!" Her mew quieted. "Crowfeather killed his son of all cats."

Bramblestar's eyes closed. "We were all promised power, power that any cat would have wanted while they were alive. None of us received that power, but part of our hearts remained loyal to those evil cats, as if still hoping they would keep their promises of course. Obviously, they didn't, and the first chance I got, I left."

"But what about Tawnypelt and Crowfeather?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." The broad-shouldered tabby opened his eyes and watched a mouse scurry by, his claws flexing instinctively. "Perhaps they stay out of fear. Or maybe they believe more in the darker side of their warrior ancestors."

"You never asked them?" Squirrelflight meowed disbelievingly as she sat down. "Crowfeather I can understand, but Tawnypelt? She's your sister."

He sighed. "Even the bonds of kin can be broken. We grew distant, and the more I agreed with StarClan, the less I wanted to be near even her."

The two sat there in silence, listening to the life of the forest that they would never truly be a part of. Bramblestar cut a sideways glance towards Squirrelflight, watching her as she stared up at the darkening sky. Her normally bright green eyes were dull and her gaze distant. Bramblestar knew that look; something was worrying her. "What's wrong?" he meowed, startling the she-cat.

" I'm just curious out how everyone else is doing," she replied. "I know we never received any word about an attack, but still. Our warriors are still recovering. And…" Squirrelflight looked at him, sorrow lighting up her eyes. "Lionblaze fought _Hollyleaf_ last time, Bramblestar! It had hurt him enough when she conspired with Ashstar; do you realize what fighting her must've done to him? Then there's Jayfeather… If that fight had taken place when he was still alive, he wouldn't have lived."

Bramblestar nodded solemnly, but his ears twitched with mild amusement. "You sound like a mother fretting over her kits."

"For a while," Squirrelflight murmured, "they were my kits."

"I know. You were a wonderful mother, even after the truth had been revealed." Bramblestar looked away from the she-cat, who had been surprised from his comment, and his mind traveled back. He pictured the days sitting outside the nursery wrestling with the three kits he had loved for so long. He remembered all the patrols they had gone on together, the times he watched Jayfeather patch up his wounds, and even the many times he had scolded them. Even after that fateful night, after he severed his ties with Squirrelflight, faced the news of his once thought daughter's assumed death, and convinced himself to treat those two young toms no differently than he treated the other Clan members, Bramblestar still found himself watching them live their daily lives, longing to be the father that Crowfeather had refused to be.

"If I was such a wonderful mother, then why did I let Jayfeather die?" Squirrelflight whispered.

When Bramblestar spoke, his mew was sharp. "Squirrelflight, no one could have prevented that, not even StarClan. You know that as well as I do."

"But why him is all I want to know. I thought that he was a member of a prophecy."

"The prophecy had been fulfilled." Bramblestar felt a wave of sorrow wash over him as he remembered the day he watched from the dark forest he had condemned himself to as the small gray medicine cat had been brutally attacked by rouges as he walked home alone from gathering herbs at night. By the time any cat had found him, it had been too late.

Squirrelflight sat beside him for a moment before standing up and shaking herself off. "That's enough reminiscing for today," she meowed briskly. "We have to go meet with those young warriors. Let's go."

* * *

Amberstorm watched as Bramblestar and Squirrelflight walked into the clearing side by side. She snorted; when she had first met them, they seemed as though they would've enjoyed watching the other die a second time. Now, they almost looked like mates. "About time," she meowed. "Now, how are we supposed to die to get to StarClan?"

Squirrelflight rolled her eyes. "It's not technically dying. Well, it is, but you'll come back."

"Your souls will travel to the skies," Bramblestar explained, "while your bodies remain down here. I trust that Forestgaze will watch over them." When the she-cat nodded, he continued. "Once your mission is complete, we will be able to send you back to the waking world. But be careful; with a paw in both worlds, if you were to receive a fatal wound, you will disappear, your spirit reaching neither StarClan nor the Place of No Stars."

Amberstorm looked over at Minnowstream to see her shudder. The tabby was surprised when Blacktail wrapped his tail around her in a gesture of comfort. _Since when had those two been so close? _She thought. Shaking her head, she looked back at the starry cats in front of her. "I'm ready if everyone else is," she meowed.

Echostar stood up, his chin raised high. "Let's go. StarClan needs our help."


End file.
